About Tobacco Addiction Detox Hospitals

Tobacco addiction detoxification hospitals are similar to residential treatment centers for addictions to alcohol or any other drugs. Most facilities embrace the most successful method of abuse treatment--the 12-step formula--that has worked for Alcoholics Anonymous for decades. When the 12-step program incorporates other known useful drug and behavioral therapies, it has proven most effective. Success is never guaranteed and recovery rates might be exaggerated or just not known because of the difficulty in verifying after-care surveys.

Addiction

Tobacco or nicotine addiction is similar to other additions in that it provides a positive reinforcement stimulus to the pleasure center in the brain. The best modern science has been able to determine until now is that nicotine increases the level of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which affects the brain pathways that control reward and pleasure.

Quitting is Tough

Drugs, behavioral therapy, changes in regimen and family intervention are helpful at getting the nicotine or any other addict only so far. Until a miracle drug appears that cures the tobacco addiction, the best that can be offered is support, behavioral changes and prescribed drugs that interrupt the rewards that are physiologically delivered to your brain.

Multi-Layered Help

Nicotine and substance-addiction hospitals incorporate three levels of help. Some are set in sterile hospital-like settings while others are set up more like a country club. The list of detox hospitals is a long one. Their settings and techniques vary, but the most successful ones are those that incorporate therapy on multiple levels in the most comfortable setting that the recovering individual can afford. Statistically, relapse is most likely to occur within the first 3 months of discharge. Longer rates of recovery are seen after this period, but the variables of what causes relapse and the time periods do not consistently support any theory.

Most Promising Drugs

Because science remains baffled by the technical implications of addiction and its interaction with the brain, the best drug detoxification assisting chemicals thus far have been Chantix, Zyban and Wellbutrin. Each has shown promising results in its own way, and each has been approved by the U.S. Federal Drug Administration. As the population of patients widens that has been using these medications, the reported number of side effects has increased. It is unclear from the studies whether the drugs are responsible for the side effects or have just exacerbated underlying conditions. While the success rates have shown promise, particularly for Chantix, the side effects are worthy of note. Depression, hostility, suicide and attempted suicide have been noted in patients taking these drugs; however, there are no direct correlations between the drugs themselves and the resultant behavior. Pfizer, the manufacturer of Chantix, is the first drug company to undertake studies related to these effects.

Conclusions

When a baseball player bats .300, it is considered a successful season. However, there is no baseline by which to evaluate the successes and failures of tobacco addition. Even more difficult is to establish the cause and effect link of treatment and recovery. There are too many variables and too many unknowns in the scientific world. With the rare exception of unconventional treatment, no detoxification institute for tobacco or alcohol can claim success. Even Alcoholics Anonymous itself cannot and does not make such a claim. If recovery rates were comparable to baseball batting averages, the success rate would likely be considered low. But batting .100 for a recovering addict is better than zero.

References

• Side Effects of Chantix
• Nicotine Treatment Centers
• Seabrookhouse